Reducing Maternal and Infant Health Disparities
Creating better service, practice and outcomes for healthy Black moms and babies
ABOUT THIS SERIES
Reducing Maternal & Infant Health Disparities is a public education series that focuses on fostering collaboration between patients, community and health practitioners to deliver high-quality care to Black mothers, infants and their families. Please also see our related Project ECHO series for maternal and infant healthcare providers.
Past Events:
Historical Perspectives on Black Maternal Health Disparities
This event opens with a presentation framing the intersection of chattel slavery and the history of reproductive medicine, along with the impact of medical racism on Black birthing people. Part one of the discussion will be led by Wayside CEO Ruth Richardson.
Part two of the event is a panel discussion featuring powerful stories about lived birth experiences and provider expertise. The featured panelists include the CEO of Chosen Vessel Midwifery Services Dr. LaVonne Moore; maternal health advocate and Founder and President of Gray Matter Brittany Wright; and Wayside alumna Katina R. a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist and Volunteer Coordinator for Twin Cities Recovery Project, Inc.
Addressing Racism as a Public Health Crisis with Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones
It was our honor to host Camara Phyllis Jones, MD, Ph.D., MPH, for the series’ inaugural event. Dr. Jones is a family physician and epidemiologist whose work focuses on measuring and addressing the impacts of racism on the health and well-being of the nation. This session will set the foundation for understanding the impacts of systemic racism on health and strategies for reducing disparities. Future topics in our series will build upon this important framework.
Dr. Jones is a past president of the American Public Health Association and was the 2019-2020 Evelyn Green Davis Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. She has taught at the Harvard School of Public Health, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Rollins School of Public Health and served as a medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
We also welcomed Nathan Chomilo, MD, FAAP, in introducing our event. Dr. Chomilo is cofounder of Minnesota Doctors for Health Equity, Medicaid Medical Director for the Minnesota Department of Human Services and adjunct faculty at University of Minnesota Medical School. He currently leads the Minnesota Department of Health’s COVID-19 vaccine equity team.